Young and Free
by MultiFandomIdek
Summary: When Clarissa Fairchild moves to New York to go to college she meets a guy named Jace. He is cocky, arrogant, and rude but oh so drop dead gorgeous. They hate each other instantly, but when they get to know each other, will that change? (HUMAN AU)
1. Chapter 1

**This is an AU fanfic, the characters are human. You do not need to know the books to understand this story. **

**I do not own any characters mentioned in this story**

* * *

Clary sighs, looking into her childhood room once more before shutting the door and walking down the stairs, her suitcase trailing behind her. When she reaches the bottom, she watches her mom scrambling around the house while Luke is sitting on the couch seemingly lost in thought. She walks toward him before taking a seat next to him; it's silent for a few seconds before she decides to speak up.

"I'm going to miss you guys", it's only a mumble and when his soft blue eyes meet hers, Clary feels her heart sink. What could she possibly say to him? Nothing that she'd say would show how much she appreciated him, cared for him, or how thankful she was. She watches him contemplate whether he'd make a joke out of it or accept it, he goes with both.

"It'll just be until Thanksgiving, I think we can manage", he grins,"but I'll miss you too Clary." He reaches across and hugs her tightly, "Your mom is going to have a panic attack as soon as you step on to that plane though," he laughs and she joins in. As if on cue, Jocelyn, her mom, walks into the living room and looks at them.

"God... I can't believe you're going to college already", her eyes tear up slightly. Clary smiles at her before standing up and wrapping her short arms around her.

"We should get going, your flight leaves soon and we're already running a bit late", Luke speaks up grabbing Clary's bags and heading outside to the car; Jocelyn and Clary following behind.

* * *

After walking around the airport for a while and checking in, Clary's flight is called. She looks at the clock and bites the inside of her cheek, turning to look at her mom and Luke before hugging them tightly.

"Call us as soon as you get settled in", says Jocelyn, kissing her head and caressing her hair while Luke rubs her back soothingly. She was scared out of her mind, but she was also extremely excited to finally start her journey towards doing what she loved. Nodding, she says her goodbyes before walking to the gate.

* * *

She takes deep breaths as the cab approaches NYU. She had been planning what her life here would be like for years and it was finally happening. When she received the letter saying she'd been accepted everything sort of blurred out and all her focus concentrated in making college the best experience she could have.

Once they arrive, she pays the man, rushes out of the cab, and gets her things before heading into the campus.

Looking around, everything looks as amazing as it did when she had visited in the summer in an attempt to get more familiar with the place. There are groups of people everywhere: Sappy moms kissing their babies goodbye, dads standing to the side smiling proudly giving the occasional pat on the back, disoriented freshmen staggering through the crowds trying to find where they're supposed to go. She laughs lightly before going to find the office.

A sharp eyed woman hands her the dorm keys and Clary can't help but notice the way the lady seemed to be glaring at her. She simply smiles at her kindly, picking a fight with the staff the moment she arrived wasn't something she was looking for, before turning away from her and walking out to find her dorm room.

As she makes her way through the halls, she stars panicking. What would her roommate be like? Would they get along? What if she hates her? She bites her lip when she gets to the end of the hall. Looking up, she stares at the door that matched the letter and number on her key. Taking a deep breath she slides the key in. She turns the lock and opens the door just a bit, gasping slightly at the brown, almost black, eyes starring back at her with no emotion. She quickly recovers and pushes the door open wider, stepping into the room.

"Uh, Hi. I'm Clarissa Adele Fairchild but everyone calls me Clary. I'm very glad to meet you and I hope we can be friends", she rambles, going over the speech she'd written in her mind over the past few days; her face heating up when she realized how stupid and childish it sounded out loud. The girl raises her eyebrow at Clary before turning away, adding things to her bed stand. Clary huffs but raises her chin nonetheless before going to her bed and sitting down. When she gets up to start putting clothes in her side of the closet, after what seems to be forever, the raven haired girl finally speaks up.

"I'm Isabelle Lightwood", she says in a foreign accent, which catches Clary off guard. Clary turns around to look at Isabelle, who is struggling to smile. Now it's Clary's turn to lift an eyebrow, Isabelle sighing before standing up. She walks over to Clary, making her realize not only how tall she really is, but how beautiful she looked; with her long black hair reaching her waist and her eyes, which up close seem to have small golden specks in them.

"I'm sorry about that a few minutes ago... I'm just not used to meeting people, specially not girls, but I would like to give friendship a try too", Isabelle explains, this time more softly and kindly. Clary is about to respond but she finds herself being interrupted.

Suddenly the door is slammed open and a black haired boy with striking blue eyes bursts in chuckling, with a smirking golden eyed angel following behind him.

* * *

** Hi! Okay so, this is my very first story and I really hope you can enjoy it. I am new on here so please bear with me. Thank you so much for giving the first chapter a try, I promise that it'll get better. As I said before, it's an alternate universe and the characters are completely human. I also apologize for ANY mistakes made, I still have a few years before I go to college, making any information I have purely based on research. I really like suggestions and feedback is really appreciated; I'd like to think I take negative and positive reviews well, as they help me improve. Again, thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a good day.**


	2. Chapter 2

The boy with golden eyes looks down at Clary, his height towering over her. He has golden hair to match with his golden eyes and has a slim, muscular build. He's wearing a long sleeved black V-neck, but Clary can see something black poking out from under his shirt on his chest... _A tattoo? _Clary chews on her lip; he was extremely attractive and he was staring at her. The blue eyed boy gives Isabelle a look as if to say: _Seriously?_ Causing Clary to frown.

The golden boy inspects Clary, head to toe and she feel her cheeks redden. She wasn't wearing the most flattering clothes and her hair was a mess, though the latter was usual for her. Suddenly, the boy bursts out laughing. Clary knits her eyebrows, glancing at herself in the mirror, wondering if there was something on her face. The other boy looks at him with wide eyes before he starts chuckling along.

"Really? Wow, I mean I was feeling sorry for whoever was going to have to share a room with you Izzy, but I'm beginning to think it'll be the other way around." He laughs some more and Isabelle's mouth falls open. Clary bites down on her tongue and glares at him though deep down that had really hurt.

"Jace! Stop it, you haven't even met her! Don't be a prick." Isabelle shrieks at him which only makes him laugh harder. He doubles over and Clary can feel whatever attraction she'd just had towards him diminish.

"Is something funny?", Clary finally speaks up and is surprised with how strong her voice actually sounded. It appears she's not the only one when the blue eyed boy smirks slightly.

"No there isn't", he glances at Jace, as Isabelle had just called him, "I apologize for my friend and I both, you're just not what we were expecting. I'm Alec." He takes a step towards her, smiling slightly before reaching his hand out. Clary notes that he has an accent too before glancing over at Jace, noticing he's stopped laughing. Instead he was now looking at Alec, frowning.

She looks back down at Alec's hand which was still reaching out and contemplates what to do. If she reaches out and he's just messing with her, she'll be even more humiliated, but if she doesn't, she'll just seem like a coward.

With a serious face she reaches out and shakes his hand, his smile widening. There was something familiar about him, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. Isabelle was now smiling and as Alec lets go of Clary's hand, she speaks up.

"And that is Clary", she smiles brightly. Someone huffs exaggeratedly and they all turn to see Jace walking over to Isabelle's bed before throwing himself on it.

"Are you all done playing meet and greet or shall I leave? It's getting quite boring." He speaks up, and now that she wasn't so embarrassed, Clary realizes he also has an accent, noting they must all come from the same place.

"You're an ass", Isabelle smirks and swats him playfully. Alec sits down on the bed next to her and hugs her tightly. She wraps her arms around him too, whispering something to him. Clary turns away and continues unpacking, her face still flushed in embarrassment. She was mad, she was supposed to get a roommate who was just like her; not a pretty girl who wore expensive clothes, who had a friend who was confusing her, and another one which was a complete dick.

As she walks into the closet to put her clothes away, she makes sure not to glance back when she hears them start to whisper. Clary frowns, straining to try and make out what they were saying, but it comes to no use. They were talking too quietly and their accents weren't really helping; all she could make out was that it seemed as if they were arguing now. She attempts to not let it bother her, though she feels as if they're talking about her.

As soon as she walks out of the closet they stop and look at her, confirming her earlier suspicions. She turns away, heading to her side of the room and continues to unpack, scowling. She was confused, wondering why'd Isabelle and Alec had warmed up to her if they were going to talk behind her back.

"Would you like to come to a party tonight, with us?", Isabelle's voice sounds rushed and is followed by Jace sighing, demonstrating just how annoyed he was that she'd asked. Clary's lips part in realization, now understanding the topic they'd been arguing over.

Taking a deep breath she turns around to look at them; Alec was watching her intently, Isabelle looked nervous, and Jace looked slightly mad.

Knitting her eyebrows, she shakes her head no, "I really don't think that's a good idea." Alec and Isabelle frown in unison but Jace looks relieved, throwing himself back on the bed.

"Come on, it'll be fun! I promise that we'll come back early, yeah?", Isabelle begs, pouting.

Clary chews on her lip, not even sure why she was debating the answer. She's about to deny again when Jace speaks up, once again interrupting her.

"You know what? You should come... _It'll be fun." _He simply states with a strange look in his eyes. Clary notes that he almost looked, dare she say, mischievous. She watches him carefully, he simply shrugs with a smirk on his face.

Clary opens her mouth to deny once again, but stops herself. Isabelle was still pouting and the boys were watching her every move, she didn't want to look like a coward. She groans before nodding her head as if to show surrender. Isabelle and Alec beam at her, Jace's smirk only growing. Clary glares at Jace, not liking the way he'd decided to change his mind out of nowhere. He simply gives her a daring look and turns away from her to talk with Isabelle and Alec.

* * *

Clary tunes them out for the remainder of their little _visit_, only nodding when Alec explained that he'd come pick them up later for the party. Isabelle closes the door once they leave and looks at Clary, nervous once again.

"I'm sorry about that... I haven't really seen either of them in a while." She smiles sheepishly.

"You don't need to apologize for anything." Clary offers a warm smile, wondering what the hell she'd gotten herself into.


	3. Chapter 3

Not even an hour after the boys left, Clary started freaking out. She wasn't one to normally go to parties, and she didn't think she had anything appropriate to wear. She'd been searching through her suitcase, whining in frustration. Isabelle had to refrain herself from laughing, as she watched her in amusement, her own clothes already picked out and set on the bed. Eventually, Clary just gives up and falls on the bed, closing her eyes. Isabelle clears her throat, calling for Clary's attention. Clary opens her eyes to find her standing a few feet away, a hand on her hip and a smile on her face.

"Can't find anything to wear?" She asks, teasingly. Clary sighs, rolling her eyes before nodding.

"I'm not really one to own any... party clothes."

"Oh come on, I'm sure we can find something." Isabelle assures her, walking towards the suitcase. She starts looking through Clary's clothes, a concentrated look on her face. Clary watches her, a hopeful glint in her eyes. When Isabelle finishes looking through it, she sighs.

"Clary, do you ever wear clothes that aren't two sizes too big for you or cover every single inch of your body?" Isabelle says, giving Clary an incredulous look. Clary gives her a small glare, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I've never really cared much about what I wear."

"Obviously," Isabelle mutters, her eyes widening when she realizes she's said it out loud, "I mean, uh, It's just that you..." She stutters for a bit before sighing and chuckling, scratching her head, "I'm sorry." Clary simply smiles and shakes her head, laughing a bit. They stare at Clary's clothes for a bit before Isabelle gets up and goes towards the closet, a grin on her face.

"Isabelle? What are you doing?" Clary asks, a terrified look on her face when Isabelle comes back holding a very short black romper. Isabelle just grins, holding it up in front of Clary's face. When she sees that Clary doesn't budge and is just staring at it with a horrified expression, she sighs.

"Just try it on, please? It's a little bit small on me and, uh, well... You're _a_ _lot_ smaller than me, it should even fit you a bit big." Isabelle tries to convince her, setting the romper on Clary's lap. Frowning, Clary holds it back up, looking back and forth between Isabelle and the romper. Finally, she nods her head, getting up and making her way into the bathroom, knowing she didn't have anything better to wear. Isabelle grins in triumph, sitting back down on the bed. When Clary comes out of the bathroom, tugging at the romper which reached a little past her mid thigh, Isabelle's grin widens. She crosses her arms, a satisfied look on her face. Clary gives in and smiles a bit, shrugging.

"I guess it's not _that _bad... Thank you." She smiles at Isabelle, sitting down next to her. Isabelle just shrugs, a smile on her lips. Soon after, Isabelle is sitting her down in the bathroom, doing her makeup and fixing her hair, ignoring all of Clary's denials and complaints. When she's done, she kicks Clary out of the bathroom, now working on herself. As Isabelle gets ready, Clary can't help but go straight towards the mirror in their room. She smiles at her reflection, patting down the romper. Isabelle had really done a number on her. She finishes getting ready, and just as Isabelle walks out of the bathroom there is a knock on the door. Clary gets up and opens the door to find Alec, slightly more dressed up this time. His eyes widen and he crosses his arms, a grin on his face.

"What did Isabelle do to _you_?", he asks jokingly as Clary steps aside, letting him in, "You look great." Clary feels a blush creep up and thanks him. He nods and walks over to Isabelle. Clary stands next to the door, glancing towards the hallway, noticing that Jace hadn't come. Sighing in relief, she grabs her phone as Isabelle and Alec usher her out of the dorms.

* * *

The second they step into the house their nose is filled with the smell of liquor, their ears with loud music and their lungs with smoke. Clary starts coughing, Isabelle and Alec laughing when she does. The second she gets accustomed to the feeling, Isabelle is dragging her across the room. Weaving past the sweaty grinding bodies, they stop in front of a large couch, Isabelle and Alec on either side of Clary. Isabelle introduces Clary to a number of people, Alec disappearing after a few moments. The people there make room for Clary and Isabelle to sit on the couch, and soon Clary finds herself actually laughing and having nice conversations.

"Where did Alec go?" Clary shouts over the music, not being able to locate him.

"I don't know, somewhere around here." Isabelle says, a teasing tone in her voice. Clary rolls her eyes, a smile on her face.

"Are you two close?" Clary asks, causing Isabelle to laugh.

"Yeah actually, we grew up together." Clary nods her head, understanding. She's about to turn away when Isabelle laughs some more, resting her hand on Clary's shoulder. "He's my brother Clary." This causes Clary's eyes to widen, realizing why Alec had looked so familiar when she first saw him. Clary laughs, but freezes when she sees Jace across the room. Knitting her eyebrows, she turns towards Isabelle again.

"What about Jace?" This question causes Isabelle's eyebrow to arch, as she stares at Clary.

"We grew up together, he's like our brother. He's closer to Alec though, they're a year older." She explains. Clary smiles, nodding her head. She looks back to where Jace was standing a moment ago but he's no longer there. Suddenly, she feels someone drop on the couch next to her. Turning to see who, she finds Jace there, his arms crossed and a prominent smirk on his face. Clary tenses up immediately, not sure as to do.

"You look hot." Jace mouths, winking. Clary immediately reddens, she scowls at him and is about to make a remark when she hears Alec calling her name. She turns to see Alec standing next to a very tall man, his arm wrapped around his waist. Clary's eyebrows rise, as she watches them smile at her.

"This is Magnus," Alec yells over the music, "My boyfriend." This catches Clary slightly off guard, but soon she's grinning and standing up to reach her hand out. She's surprised when she's pulled into a tight hug; she laughs, looking at Magnus when he pulls back.

"I'm Clary." She shouts, introducing herself. He nods, grinning. After a small talk, Alec and Magnus leave. Clary is about to sit down again but when she turns back around, she finds a girl on Jace's lap practically shoving her tongue down his throat. Grimacing, she turns to look at Isabelle who was busy taking shots. Sighing, she decides she needs a drink. Making her way past the drunk people dancing, she finds the kitchen. Pushing the door open, she finds only two girls gossiping in there. She sighs in relief, the music wasn't as loud there. Getting a cup and serving herself some punch, she takes a sip. Her phone starts vibrating in her back pocket, so she grabs it and smiles at the caller ID.

"Hey, you."

"Don't _hey _me, Clary, why the hell didn't you call your mom?" An almost angry voice replies.

"Wh-what? Oh, shit." Clary says, realizing she'd forgotten to call her mom when she got there. Rubbing the palm of her hand on her forehead, she frowns. "I forgot."

"Yeah, you forgot. Wait- Clary is that music? Are you at a party? Already? Are you kidding me?"

"Simon, I practically got dragged here okay. I'm leaving early, don't worry about it okay?" Clary sighs, not wanting her best friend to be disappointed.

"I thought you said you weren't gonna be like that Clary," he sighs, "Oh what the hell. Just don't get drunk, okay? Call your mom. She called me panicking and I had to tell her that you'd called me as soon as you landed, that you told me your phone was about to die and you'd lost your charger. I still can't believe she bought that." Simon mutters the last part, sighing again. Clary tries not to laugh and nods her head, though he couldn't see her.

"I promise I'll call her as soon as we hang up."

"Okay, well, as much as I want you to tell me how everything's gone today and for you to explain why the hell you're at a party, I have to go. Call me first thing tomorrow, okay?" Simon sounds rushed, causing Clary to knit her eyebrows.

"Uh, yeah... Okay. Thank you for covering for me, I love you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, love you too. Have fun, but not too much." Clary laughs and hangs up. Her eyes widen when she looks down at her phone to find 12 missing calls from her mom. _She was so dead_. She knew she couldn't call her while in the house, her mom would know she was at a party as soon she answered. Making her way towards the front door, she can feel someone's eyes on her. Ignoring the feeling, she walks out and starts walking as far away from the house as possible.

"You leaving already?" She hears someone shout from behind her. She turns to find Jace making his way towards her. Sighing she shakes her head.

"No, I have to make a call." She explains, picking up speed, trying to get away from him; but it's to no use as in less than 10 seconds he's caught up to her. She curses her short legs, turning to look at him. He smirks, looking straight ahead. "What are you doing?"

"I'm walking." He replies with a serious tone.

"No shit," she huffs, "What do you want?"

"I want to walk." Is all he replies with, his face showing no emotion. Clary scowls, stopping next to a tree, not wanting to walk any further from the house. She figured she was far enough though she knew her mom would be able to hear the music if she concentrated on it; but frankly she didn't want to go any further away from the house, not with Jace there. She hardly knew him and he hadn't been too nice to her the few moments they'd been together. Pulling out her phone, she dials her mom, turning her back to Jace.

"Clary? Oh my god, are you okay? Did you arrive okay? How is it? How are you? Why did you call Simon first instead of me!?" Are only the first of the multiple questions Clary is faced with as soon as her mother answers the phone.

"Hey, hi, I'm so sorry. I'm fine, everything's great and I'm sorry about that." Clary starts to go over what Simon said, explaining that her nice roommate had let her borrow her charger. She tells Jocelyn that she'd settled in just fine and that she was about to go to bed. After assuring her mom and apologizing for calling Simon first, Jocelyn finally stops bombarding her with questions. They say their goodbyes and Clary promises to call her sometime the next day. When they finally hang up, Clary sighs, relieved she hadn't noticed the music. She hears a chuckle coming from behind her, followed by slow claps. Groaning, she turns to find Jace with a shit eating grin plastered on his face. She'd forgotten that he was there, and now she was honestly thankful he hadn't interrupted or ratted her out to her mom.

"Wow, I didn't think you could lie like that. I'm impressed," he says, still chuckling, "Poor mother, sounded so worried and here you are at a college party, lying to her. I should've totally ratted you out." He crosses his arms, leaning against the tree. Clary glares at him, shaking her head.

"You're a dick." She scowls at him, making her way back towards the house.

"That, I am!" She hears him shout from behind her, followed by his steps getting closer to her, "I also have one, wanna see?" That causes Clary to freeze, forcing her to look over at him with an incredulous look on her face. Jace smirks down at her, wiggling his eyebrows. She snarls at him before continuing her march, speeding up a bit. He was obviously just trying to get her mad, and it was working. Jace watches her walk away, chuckling to himself.

* * *

**So... Holy shit, I haven't updated in over a year. In all honesty I forgot about this fanfic, only recently remembering thanks to someone favoriting it. Just to let you know, I've made some changes to the first two chapters. I'm gonna try to update this story at least once a week, and this time I've made sure to write a couple chapters in advance(haha). Reviews and feedback are appreciated, thank you so much for reading.**

**Much Love Xx**


	4. Chapter 4

Clary makes her way into the house, immediately looking for Isabelle; she'd felt bad about lying to her mom and she wanted to go back to the dorm. She frowns when she doesn't find her on the couch. Turning around, she nearly runs into Magnus. He chuckles and takes a step back, taking a sip from the drink in his hand.

"What's up buttercup? You might wanna look where you're going, you could run into people." Magnus looks down at her, offering a small smile with his glitter covered lips. Clary frowns, scratching the back of her head.

"Sorry," she offers a sheepish smile, "Have you seen Isabelle?"

"Uh, no. Alec said he was gonna go find her like two minutes ago, he hasn't come back yet." Right at that moment, a loud scream and a chorus of gasps can be heard. Clary and Magnus turn to see the people who were dancing now frozen, some running towards the middle. Someone stops the music, loud grunts now audible.

"Stop! Isabelle, stop!" Clary and Magnus turn to look at each other, worry in their eyes when they hear Isabelle's name. Without looking back at him, Clary runs towards the crowd, shoving her way towards the middle. Clary gasps and her hands automatically rise to cover her mouth when she sees what the fuss was all about. Isabelle was on top of a guy, her bloodied fists coming down on him. Clary's about to step in and try to pull her off when she sees Jace and Alec shove the people away and immediately pull Isabelle off the guy. The guy only grunts, his eyes closed and his face covered in blood. Isabelle fights against the guys, screaming in frustration. The people around immediately surround the guy, helping him up. Clary feels Magnus stop next to her, a gasp leaving his lips. They both make their way towards Isabelle, who was now surrounded by Alec and Jace. They all walk into the kitchen, sitting Isabelle down.

"What the fuck just happened? Did he hurt you? Fuck, I'm gonna kill him." Alec asks, anger laced in his voice. Magnus quickly walks towards Alec, pulling him away from Isabelle and calming him down. Clary takes a few steps towards Isabelle, kneeing in front of her. Her fists were cut up, but what makes Clary's heart sink is the massive bruise starting to show on her face and the cut on her lip. She feels Jace stand next to her as his hand forces Isabelle to look up at him. A wet cloth in his hand, he starts cleaning up the cut and hands her an ice pack. Magnus and Alec were whispering, Alec still furious. Clary looks up to see Jace clenching his jaw, his eyes radiating anger. When he's done, he simply throws the cloth away and walks out of the kitchen without saying a word. Isabelle looks down at Clary, sighing.

"Are you okay?", are the only words that Clary can come up with. Isabelle grins, though it quickly disappears as she winces, the cut having been tugged on. When she regains herself, she nods at Clary.

"I'm fine. It felt nice to beat the shit out of that asshole." Clary smiles at this, though she was still worried.

"What happened?" Clary asks, her voice soft. Isabelle tenses up, looking away. Clary just nods, not wanting to intrude. She pries the ice pack from Isabelle's hand and gently presses it against her cheek. Isabelle tries to smile at Clary in appreciation, but her eyes are sad. Soon, Alec is calmed down and by her side, taking the ice pack into his own hand. He soothes Isabelle, whispering to her. Clary backs away, turning to look at Magnus. He shrugs at her and they walk out of the kitchen, into the living room, where the party seemed to be back in gear. Making their way outside, they stop when they see the guy Isabelle had beat up sitting on the porch. Clary's eyebrows furrow when she notices that he seemed to be in a much worse shape than he had been the last time she saw him. She thinks back to the giant bruise on Isabelle's face and the sorrow in her eyes and it's enough to make her blood boil. She glares at him, taking a step towards him.

"Listen, you son of a bitch. I don't care what happened over there, don't you dare touch Isabelle again." She spits out, surprised at her own outburst. Magnus reaches out and tugs on her arm, pulling her away from him. She'd caught the attention of the other people outside, and they almost looked eager for another fight to break out. The guy rolls his eyes, his tongue poking out over the giant cut on his lip.

"The bitch and her little bodyguard beat me up, I didn't do anything princess." He replies, bitterness in his voice. Clary glances at Magnus, both of they're eyebrows furrowed.

"Her bodyguard?" Magnus asks, taking a step towards the guy. The guy just rolls his eyes before standing up. Clary and Magnus stand by, watching him wince as he leaves the porch and walks away from the house, probably going to his car. Clary turns to look at Magnus, but he only shrugs at her. They both sigh and sit down on the steps, everyone else now back to their own thing.

"So you and Alec, huh?" Clary says after a short moment, wiggling her eyebrows, attempting to change the subject and take their minds off it. Magnus chuckles, cocking his head to the side.

"I saw the look of surprise on your face when he said the word boyfriend." He glances over at her, grinning.

"I don't know, I kind of assumed he was straight." She shrugs, smiling sheepishly.

"Oh no. That boy is as gay as it gets." He says in a completely serious tone. Clary laughs and shakes her head, looking up at the sky.

"Well, this night escalated very quickly." Magnus jokes, but Clary just sighs, covering her face with her hands. They sit in silence for a few moments before Clary looks up and groans. "What is it?"

"I wanna go back to the dorm, this isn't my kind of thing." She sighs, Magnus nodding his head. As if on cue, Alec walks out of the house and takes a seat between them.

"Jace is leaving, you can go with him?" He asks, almost wincing as the words leave his mouth. Clary's eyes widen, as she turns to give Alec an incredulous look. "Hey, I know you two got off on the wrong foot. But we can't find the keys to the car, and god knows how long it'll take to find them in this mess." Clary grimaces, looking back into the house.

"I can wait. Is Isabelle okay?"

"Isabelle will be fine, but no, you can't wait. Come on, he's going back to the campus right now, you don't have to talk to him or anything. We promised you we'd get you back to the dorms early, I swear he's not that bad." Alec pleads, Magnus chuckling. Clary frowns, groaning as she nods her head. Alec smiles, getting up and disappearing into the house.

"I swear he's not that bad." Magnus mocks him, a grin on his lips.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just saying, unless you like pretty sarcastic blondes from hell, I'm not sure how Alec's words fit."

"So Alec likes pretty sarcastic blondes from hell?" Clary teases, raising an eyebrow. Magnus squints his eyes, grimacing.

"I dug myself a hole didn't I?" Clary laughs at his response, shaking her head. Suddenly someone storms past them and as Clary turns to see who, she realizes it's Jace. He's walking away from the house quite quickly, and it takes Clary a minute to realize he's leaving. She quickly gets up and waves Magnus goodbye, running to catch up to Jace.

"Hey! Jace!" She calls out, trying to get him to slow down. However, it just fuels him and he starts walking faster, his long legs taking him much faster than Clary's short ones. She groans and picks up speed, barely making it to his truck on time. He stops in front of a truck, before quickly jumping in and starting it up. Clary follows his lead, glancing over at him. She bites her tongue to stop herself from saying anything and instead buckles her seatbelt and looks out the window. Jace pulls out and steers the truck onto the New York roads, sighing. Clary turns to look at Jace and notices his knuckles were bruised. Chewing on her lip, she realizes Jace was the _bodyguard_ the guy had been talking about.

"Stop staring, it's creepy." Jace's voice breaks her out of her thoughts, and she finds herself blushing.

"I wasn't staring." She mutters, crossing her arms. Jace snorts, nodding his head.

"Whatever you say babe."

"Don't call me that." She growls, her eyebrows furrowing.

"It's called freedom of speech honey, you should look it up." Jace retorts, no hint of any emotion in his voice. Clary sighs, ignoring him. She reaches forward and turns the radio on, closing her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?" Jace asks, turning the radio back off. Clary scowls at him, though his eyes were set on the street.

"What? Now you don't even like music? Are you kidding me?" Clary sighs, exasperated.

"Oh, no. I like music, I don't like you touching my stuff."

"Oh my god, how annoying can you get?" She almost screeches, pinching the bridge of her nose. He laughs loudly, gripping the steering wheel.

"Oh, you haven't even seen the best of it. Also, I suggest you play nice because we're pretty far away from the University and I won't hesitate to kick you out." Jace's voice is completely serious, laced with a bit of anger. Clary gapes at him, anger running through her veins.

"You're a damn asshole, you don't even know me."

"I don't need to." Is all he says, and just as Clary's about to respond, a loud banging sound comes from outside the car followed by a lot of screeching. Clary gasps when she feels the car swerve, her heart pounding in her chest. Jace tries his best to keep control of the truck, waiting for it to slow down and swerving to the side. When the truck finally stops, Jace gets off immediately. He goes around the truck and inspects it, a scowl on his face. Clary watches him, her heart still pounding. When Jace finally comes back, he stops and stares at Clary for a minute. "Two of the tires are blown out."

"What does that mean?" Clary asks, worry evident in her voice.

"That, means that were stuck out in the middle of nowhere."

* * *

**So, here's the update. I'll be updating again on Friday, along with Saturday's update. Hope you enjoy, thanks for sticking with me. Please review and give feedback, I really appreciate it.**

**Much Love Xx**


	5. Chapter 5

"What do you mean that it'll take you at least two hours to get here!?" Clary shrieks into the phone, her heart sinking. Sighing she shakes her head, apologizing for her outburst.

"I'm sorry ma'm but it's a Friday night in New York City, and we've had a really high amount of customers tonight so all our workers are out right now. You'll need to be put on a short list, I apologize." The receptionist explains, her voice sharp. Clary groans and rubs her temple.

"Okay, it's okay. Thank you, I'm gonna give the phone over to the driver now." Clary jumps out of the truck and hands Jace the phone, plopping down on a big rock near him. She places her head in her hands, closing her eyes as she listens to Jace give the receptionist all the information needed. After a long while, he finally hangs up. He shakes his head and places Clary's phone next to her before getting into his truck. A strong breeze causes goosebumps to rise all over Clary's skin. She shivers lightly, sitting up before rubbing her arms. She contemplates whether she should get into the truck or not, but she decides against it. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she grabs her phone when it emits a soft ting. She smiles sadly when she reads the text that Simon had sent her.

_I hope you had fun tonight; I also hope you're not currently lying passed out in a pile of your own vomit in a strangers house. I already miss you! Sleep well! _

She replies with a simple "Goodnight Simon" before shivering once again.

"You're going to catch a cold if you stay out there, you know." Jace's voice calls from the truck. Clary looks up to find him with his eyes closed, his arms crossed.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. The wind is picking up and you're half naked." Jace opens one eye, watching Clary. Her mouth drops as she crosses her arms, trying to cover herself both from the wind and Jace's stare.

"No I'm not!"

"Mhm, okay." Jace just smirks, closing his eyes again and relaxing in his seat.

"I'll have you know, these are Isabelle's clothes." She snaps, trying to defend herself.

"Obviously. It's not like I'd believe you'd have such nice fashion sense." He chuckles, shaking his head. Clary reddens, clenching her fists. She closes her eyes, taking deep breaths. She wasn't going to get into an argument with him, not when they were gonna be stuck out here for the next few hours. She brings her feet up on the rock and wraps her arms around her legs, trying to find some warmth. She closes her eyes and a few minutes pass. She hears Jace sigh before he's calling her name.

"Clary, get into the damn truck, will you?" He sounds almost worried, which forces Clary to look over at him with a curious look. He's watching her, a frown on his lips. "I don't want you to get sick. Isabelle and Alec will kill me, considering they've already taken such fondness with you." He rolls his eyes, which causes Clary to frown, _obviously he wouldn't actually be concerned. _She sighs, her entire body was shivering and her hands were starting to feel numb. She stretches her legs before getting up and getting into the truck. At least she was shielded from the wind there. She sighs and closes her eyes, letting her head lay back against the headrest. She rubs her arms, her skin still cold. Suddenly, she feels a hand wrap around her own. She opens her eyes and Jace hisses, taking her hands in his own bruised ones.

"What are you doing?" She asks, not entirely sure what was going on.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm attempting to warm your hands up, they're freezing. You don't want them to fall off do you?" He asks, his tone of voice emotionless. Clary gulps, her hands already warmer than they were. She sighs, relishing in the feeling. Once they're warm enough, he lets go.

"Thank you." Clary mutters, setting her hands on her lap. Jace just nods, looking out the window. A couple minutes pass by, before Clary speaks up. "We should call Isabelle and Alec, let them know. I don't want Isabelle to get there and not find me." Jace nods and pulls out his phone, dialing a number before handing the phone to Clary. She takes it and after a couple rings, Isabelle picks up.

"Jace, please explain to me why the hell my roommate is not in our room, did you kill her?"

"Hey Isabelle, it's me," Clary laughs into the phone, shaking her head, "No one's killed anyone, not yet anyway." Clary glances over at Jace who was giving her a funny look. "We're fine but we're stuck, two of the tires are currently flat. Help is on the way but I think we're gonna be stuck out here for a while."

"What? Oh my god. Why didn't you call us immediately? We could've picked you up, Jace could've dealt with that by himself."

"I know, I know but I wasn't really thinking and I was sure we could get help down here in less than an hour."

"Do you want me to call Alec? We could go pick you up."

"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it, I'm okay. Just go to sleep, you had a rough night. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Clary, are you sure though? I feel awful; this entire night went wrong and I promised we'd get you back here early." Isabelle states, worried.

"It's alright Isabelle, just go to sleep. We'll be okay." Clary smiles, grateful over Isabelle caring so much. Isabelle huffs before giving in, and after they say their goodnights, Clary hangs up. She hands the phone over to Jace, who immediately calls Alec and explains that he wouldn't be getting home until later. When they're done, Clary glances over at Jace's knuckles again. "Did you beat that guy up too?" The question is out before she can stop herself, Jace's eyebrows furrowing. He pauses for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, the asshole deserved it. Isabelle got some pretty amazing hits in him and it probably wasn't necessary for me to do so, but I was mad..." He explains, rubbing his thumb over the bruises. Clary nods, biting her lip. He had actually answered her question, so she digs further.

"Do you know why she did that? What happened or who he is?"

"Yeah," Jace sighs, clenching his jaw, "an old fling of hers. She was pretty tipsy and from what I heard he showed up and was being a vulgar piece of shit, so she punched him, which caused him to retaliate. Luckily she's a pretty sturdy girl, got him down on the floor before he could do much." Clary's eyebrows shoot up at the new information. She nods her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

"She is pretty intimidating..."

"You think?" Jace chuckles, shaking his head. "I don't know about that. She's not very open that's for sure."

"And you are?" Clary asks, which causes Jace's smile to fade. He tenses up and looks away, clenching his jaw.

"I don't know what do you think?"

"I think you're worse than her." Clary says slowly, watching Jace carefully.

"What makes you say that?" Jace turns to look at Clary, his golden eyes narrowing.

"Well, you're not very friendly for starters."

"I don't need friends. I have enough with Alec and Isabelle, close relationships and friendships can ruin you; of course, if you don't ruin them first." Jace snaps, his tone of voice hostile. Clary's eyebrows furrow, squinting back at Jace.

"Or they can save you, give you a purpose. Make you happier, give light to your life." Clary tries to reason, which causes Jace to snort.

"Relationships are just a matter of circumstance, you don't need much to get by."

"Don't you think that's a sad way to live? You know, all broody and alone." Clary tries to joke, cocking her head slightly.

"I've gotten through just fine, thanks." Jace laughs, sitting back and looking at the dark path in front of the truck. Clary sighs and pulls out her phone to check the time.

_12:34 am_

She groans, closing her eyes. "It's barely been an hour." Jace chuckles at her whining, shaking his head.

* * *

**I apologize for the late update, I've been extremely busy with school and family issues. The good thing is that, though I didn't upload, I did have a chance to write most of both chapters. So, here is one of them; I'll be finishing and uploading the other one early tomorrow. Please review if you have the chance, I love feedback. Hope everyone's having a great weekend! **

**Much love Xx**


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay, that's it. I'm screwed. Curfew was at 12 and the bed check is at 1." Clary groans, looking down at the time on her phone, marking _12:58. _Jace looks over at her, biting his lip.

"You can stay with me and Alec, don't worry about it." Jace mutters, looking away.

"Really?" Clary asks, honestly surprised.

"Yeah. I mean it's not like I can just leave you out to sleep on the streets in the middle of New York City, and a hotel would be too expensive." He shrugs, glancing back at Clary. She just nods her head in appreciation and sits back.

"I'm going to take a nap, I'll see you laer." Jace mumbles before pulling on the lever and pushing the seat back so he was laying down. He crosses his arms and closes his eyes, yawning. Clary watches him, her eyebrows furrowed. She sighs before leaning her head on her hand, closing her eyes too. A few minutes pass and soon enough, Clary hears Jace's breathing slow down and continue in a soft pattern. She opens her eyes to find that he did indeed look like he was asleep. She sighs, closing her eyes too.

* * *

Clary is awoken when Jace shifts around in his seat and knocks over an empty water bottle. Clary sighs and picks it up, placing it back in the cup holder. She glances over at Jace to find that his new position allowed her to see a few of the tattoos poking out from his shirt. Her eyebrows furrow as she inspects them, following patterns until they were hidden by his shirt. They weren't like anything she'd seen before, but they looked like they were saying something. She wonders if they were some kind of tribal or religious markings, attempting to make out the shapes or letters.

"You really need to stop staring at me. I mean, I understand that I'm probably the most gorgeous creature you've come across, but it's getting quite creepy." Jace speaks up, his eyes still closed. Clary's heart almost jumps out of her chest, her eyes wide and her breathing rapid.

"I wasn't staring!" She tries to convince him, a blush creeping up on her face.

"Sure you weren't."

"I thought you were asleep."

"And just because I'm asleep you can stare at me?" Jace smirks, opening his eyes to look at Clary, and a small chuckle leaves his lips when he sees how red she was. "Careful, your face is starting to blend in with your hair." Clary sighs, crossing her arms and sitting back against the seat, looking away from Jace.

"I was looking at your tattoos." She mutters, trying to explain herself. Jace doesn't say anything, instead he only sits up and checks his phone. She glances over at him, her eyes narrowing. "What are they?"

"Family markings." He mutters without glancing at her.

"Family markings?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. He huffs, looking up at her.

"Yes Clary, family markings. Runes, just stuff that's been passed down. Somewhat religious I guess."

"I didn't paint you to be the religious type."

"I'm not... Not really. Like I said, they've been passed down. I thought they looked cool so I got tattoos of them, is that a crime?" Jace says defensively, tugging on his sleeves. Clary shakes her head, looking away. They sit in silence for a few minutes, before Jace groans. "It's already 2 in the morning, it's been more than two hours already. When is that damn tow truck gonna get here?" Clary shrugs, nodding her head. Jace glances over at Clary, a mischievous look in his eyes. "I'm bored." Is all he says before he opens the truck's door and gets out, taking a few steps towards the road.

"What? What are you doing?" Clary asks, watching him walk into the middle of the street. When he doesn't reply and simply opens his arms, Clary worries. Quickly jumping out of the truck, she walks towards the street. "Jace what are you doing? Get back here, you're gonna get hit." Jace just grins and sits down before closing his eyes. "Jace!" Clary shouts, exasperated.

"Come here, it's nice." Jace mumbles, a smile still on his lips.

"No thank you, I don't want to die tonight. Get back over here Jace, this isn't funny. Are you crazy?" Clary really starts to worry, glancing back and forth between Jace and the streets, looking for oncoming vehicles.

"Maybe I am. What do you think?" His smile fades, and he finally looks back at Clary. Clary watches him, his eyes emotionless. She sighs before walking towards him.

"Stop it." She clenches her fists, her voice stern. He doesn't say anything else and instead looks forward, to the street. She's about to insist again when she hears a car in the distance. Her heart starts to pound as she looks down at Jace, who was now smirking. "Jace get up right now, please!" She panics, tugging on his arm. He doesn't reply and doesn't look back at her, his own heart pounding in his chest. "Jace! Please!" She screams, her eyes tearing up and her breathing ragged. The headlights of the car start coming towards them, blinding her. "Jace you're scaring me!" She feels frozen, and all she can do is stare at the light going towards them at an alarming speed. Suddenly, she's the one being pushed out of the street. She cries out when she lands on the side of the road with a loud thud. The car horns at them before leaving. She's panting now, tears spilling out of her eyes. She simply looks up at the sky, not wanting to face Jace. Jace lays next to her, his jaw clenched. When she doesn't move, Jace sits up, looking down at her.

"Clary?" His voice is soft, almost worried. Clary ignores him, her heart pounding in her chest. "Clary." He calls her name, this time more sternly. "Clary, say something."

"You're an asshole." It comes out in a whisper, her eyes finally meeting him. "Why did you do that?" Her whispers sound angry, but calm. He opens his mouth to reply but finds himself not able to find words. Clary huffs, shaking her head before getting up. Jace follows immediately, stopping her from walking away.

"I don't know, I like the rush. No one told you to go after me."

"Are you serious right now?! We could've gotten killed!" Clary shoves him away, her voice laced with anger.

"But we didn't did we?" Jace looks down at her, a frown on his face. "We're right here."

"Did you want to die?" Clary asks exasperated, her fists clenched at her sides.

"Why would I wan't to die? I have a perfect life Clary, you don't need to worry about me." His words are hostile, as he takes a step towards her. They both glare at each other, neither wanting to back down. Clary's heart stops when she realizes they were only a few inches apart. She's about to respond when a large towing truck arrives. They quickly separate and watch a man get out of the truck. She glares at Jace once more before walking away and pulling out her phone. She immediately calls for a cab and leaves Jace to deal with the worker.

When they finally finish all the paperwork and the truck is hooked up, ready to be taken to a garage, the taxi arrives. Clary gets into the cab immediately and waits for Jace. Soon they're making their way back to Jace's apartment, not much being said. They arrive a few minutes before three am, both exhausted. Jace unlocks the door and leads her inside. Clary looks around, not expecting an apartment shared between two guys to look so nice.

"You have a nice apartment." Clary mutters, wanting to break the tense silence. Jace nods and signals for her to follow him.

"You can stay in my room," he finally speaks up as he leads her into his room, walking towards a drawer before throwing a large shirt at her, "bathrooms down the hall, try to be quiet though, Alec's room is right next to it."

"Um... Thanks, but that's not necessary. I can sleep in the living room." Clary protests, walking out of the room. Jace snorts behind her as he makes his way towards the living room.

"You're staying in my room, end of discussion: Plus, I don't want to deal with Alec scolding me in the morning for letting you sleep on the couch. Goodnight." He walks away and Clary loses sight of him. She sighs and walks into the restroom, quickly changing. She's about to walk back to the room when she bumps into someone in the darkness. She gasps and steps back, only to find Magnus looking down at her with a weird look.

"Magnus?"

"Clary?"

"What.. Oh." Clary blushes when she realizes he was staying with Alec.

"Uh, yeah... What are you doing here? Oh no. Did he already seduce you?" Magnus whispers incredulously. Clary starts choking on her own spit, her eyes wide. She shakes her head quickly.

"No, no, no. I- uh, didn't Alec tell you? We got stuck in the middle of nowhere and we had to wait for a tow truck to come for his truck, I also didn't have any money on me and curfew at the dorms was at 12." Clary explains in a rushed voice, her cheeks red. She thanks the fact that it's dark in the hallway and shakes her head. Magnus smirks at her, his white teeth gleaming in the dark.

"Huh, okay then." He nods and she says goodnight, walking back to the room.

"Let's see how long it takes him in that case." Magnus mutters, a smirk on his face before he closes the door to the bathroom. Clary's jaw drops open as she stops walking. She shakes her head, not understanding how she got stuck there in the first place. She sighs and finally gets into the bed, turning all the lights off before closing her eyes.

* * *

**Thanks for reading... I'll update on Sunday if not sooner, please review. **

**Much love xx**


	7. Chapter 7

_Pancakes._

That's the first thought that makes it's way into Clary's head when she wakes up. Scrunching her nose and keeping her eyes shut, she tries to protect herself from the bright sunlight. She rubs her eyes and stretches her arms, yawning. Her nostrils were being attacked by the warm, sweet, and homey smell of pancakes and syrup, ushering her to get up. She's met with confusion the second she opens her eyes, an unfamiliar room being the first thing she sees. She looks around the room, her heart dropping. She thinks back to the night before, trying to remember where she was. Her shoulders slump with disappointment when she realizes she was in Jace's room and not in her house with her mom making pancakes on a Sunday morning. She sits there in silence for a couple minutes, going over the events that got her there in the first place, until her stomach's relentless growling forces her to get up and follow the sweet smell. She makes her way out of the room, rubbing her eyes.

Making her way down the hall, she's about to walk into the kitchen when the sight in front of her stops her. She freezes immediately and her breath hitches, her heart stopping. Jace was shirtless, his back turned towards her. Clary's eyes run up and down his bare back, which was covered in the same kind of tattoos she'd seen previously. She follows the patterns, realizing he had many more than she'd thought originally. His back was covered in them, most of them taking place on his shoulder blades, trailing down towards his waist and up towards his shoulders.

"Clary!" Alec's cheery voice breaks her from her thoughts, her heart jumping. Her eyes wide, she reaches up to clutch a hand over her heart. Quickly turning around to face him, he laughs when he realizes he'd scared her. Clary smiles sheepishly which causes one of Alec's eyebrows to arch. She's about to greet him when his smile fades and his eyebrows furrow, his eyes trailing down her body. "Clary?" It's not until Alec crosses his arms and cocks his head, his eyebrows raised, that Clary realizes he was referring to her wearing Jace's shirt. Clary felt her cheeks burning, an evident blush finding it's way onto her skin.

"Oh! No, no, he let me borrow his shirt so that I'd be more comfortable when I slept and uh," Clary rambles, trying to explain herself, "I-I, he, we didn't- we didn't, uh..." Her skin was burning, her blood pumping, and all she could do was stand there and hope Alec believed her; also aware of the fact that Jace was only a couple feet away from them and had probably heard the entire conversation. She's about to continue her rambling when Jace's voice interrupts her.

"Are you sure about that Clary? I guess you and I remember last night very differently then." Jace's taunting voice calls out from the kitchen and Clary can almost hear him smirking. Her heart drops as she brings her attention back to Alec, who was now laughing quite hard. She didn't even want to imagine how red her face was by then, her blood boiling. Alec shakes his head and pats her arm as if to demonstrate he knew that Jace was just teasing before he walks away, snickering. Clary quickly runs back into the bedroom, changing out of the shirt and fixing herself up.

"Don't be such a dick Jace, she gets embarrassed way too easily." Alec tells Jace, still chuckling. He grabs plates and sets short stacks of pancakes on each one, Jace taking care of the rest.

"You think I haven't noticed? I've seen her face turn as red as her hair." Jace laughs, turning away from Alec.

"I hope you weren't too much of an ass last night," Alec stops laughing, his voice becoming serious, "You saw that Isabelle actually seemed to like her... Isabelle, Jace. Izzy, she actually seemed to genuinely like someone, a girl, for the first time since I can remember." Jace rolls his eyes and sits down at the head of the table, not looking at Alec.

"Don't worry about that Alec, she's a tough girl. Surprisingly, but she is. She can take some teasing." Jace mutters, finally meeting Alec's bright blue eyes. Alec gives him a weird look but decides to leave it there, nodding his head and sitting down. When Clary comes back, she sits down next to Alec, looking anywhere but at Jace. He was still shirtless, and knowing Jace, she wouldn't put it past him to comment on how much she was drooling. Alec offers her a warm smile and encourages her to eat her pancakes. They eat in an awkward silence for most of their breakfast, only interrupted when Clary realizes she hadn't seen Magnus. Her eyebrows furrow, eyes looking over at Alec. He looks back up at her and tilts his head, wondering what she was thinking.

"Where's Magnus?" It's a simple and innocent question, which is why Clary is shocked when Alec starts choking on his food. Jace's eyebrows furrow, a frown on his lips, as he watches Alec's attempts to regain his composure.

"What?" Alec manages to ask, chugging down his orange juice.

"Uh, I bumped into him in the hall last night..." Clary explains slowly, cocking her head. Jace's frown quickly turns into a smirk as he crosses his arms and sits back in his chair, watching Alec with an amused expression. Alec glances over at Jace, practically looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I thought," Jace pauses, pursing his lips, "That we weren't allowed to have girlfriends _or_ boyfriends over, Alec." His tone of voice is mocking, a prominent smirk taking over his features when Alec scoffs.

"You and I both know that, that rule was only ever created because if it wasn't there then I'd never get any sleep with all the people you bring home." Alec crosses his arms, pouting. Jace laughs and takes his plate to the sink, as Clary stares at the floor uncomfortable by the whole situation.

"Whatever. You owe me something now..." Jace teases, standing in front of Alec with his arms crossed; which happened to be right next to Clary. Alec glares at Jace and quickly dismisses himself before leaving the kitchen. Seeing that Alec was now gone, Clary quickly grabs her plate and takes it to the sink, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. She hears Jace sigh before he sits down and watches her move around the kitchen. She tries to avoid looking at him, but she finds that hard when she realizes she'd left her fork on the table which was where Jace was seated currently. She curses inwardly and walks over to the table, reaching for the fork. She stops when she feels Jace's hand wrap around her wrist gently. She finally looks down at him, his golden eyes looking back up at her. She gulps and quickly pulls her hand away, gripping the fork. Quickly throwing it in the sink, she's about to walk out when Jace gets up and blocks her way. Her height causes her to meet with his marked bare chest, and she once again finds herself cursing her shortness. Clary clears her throat and tries to make her way around him, but he only moves back in front of her.

"Excuse me, I'm trying to pass." She speaks up, looking at the wall.

"Why aren't you looking at me?" Jace asks, a confused tone in his voice. This forces Clary to look up at him, her breath hitching when she realized how close she was to him.

"What do you mean?" She feigns confusion, crossing her arms.

"You haven't looked at me since you walked in, that's what I mean."

"I'm looking at you right now, aren't I? I looked at you like a minute ago too, actually." She tilts her head, Jace's lips quirking up into a small smile.

"Don't be a smartass, you know what I mean."

"Well I'm not doing it on purpose. Also, it wouldn't harm you to wear a shirt you know." This causes Jace's smile to widen, his eyes narrowing.

"Are you uncomfortable because I'm not wearing a shirt?" He asks, trying not to laugh. Clary scoffs, taking a step back.

"Of course not! I'm just saying, it wouldn't _hurt_ you to wear a shirt." Clary's heart is pounding in her chest, as she tries her best not to stare at his muscular body.

"What, have you never seen a guy shirtless?" Jace jokes, but when Clary doesn't reply, his jaw drops. "You've never seen a guy shirtless?" He asks, incredulously.

"Of course I've seen a guy shirtless, Jesus!" She shakes her head, her arms still crossed.

"Then why are you acting like that?" He asks, taking a step towards her. Clary takes another step back but finds her back hitting the table.

"I don't know, I mean, I've never seen a guy... Like that!" Clary almost shrieks, shaking her hands in exasperation before pointing at Jace. This catches Jace by surprise before he starts laughing. He takes another step towards her, a shit eating grin on his face.

"Like this?" He smiles down at her, Clary blushing once again. "That's cute."

"Shut up." Clary grumbles, her heart pounding at how close he was. He looks down at her, his smile fading when her bright green eyes meet his. They stand there for what seems like forever, Clary's heart beat drumming in her ears.

"I'm sorry about last night." It's a mere whisper, so Clary isn't sure if she's heard Jace correctly. Her eyebrows raise in surprise, before they furrow. She purses her lips, not sure of what to say. Instead she shakes her head, looking down at her feet. Jace's finger hooks under her chin, which once again surprises her, as he tilts her head up so he could see her. "I'm serious, I went overboard. I didn't mean to scare you like that. I didn't even expect you to actually walk into the street, I'm sorry."

"I- uh, it's okay..." She mumbles, a frown on her lips. He smiles warmly at her and she tries to smile back, completely confused. He pulls away after a few seconds and clears his throat, an emotionless expression on his face. Clary finally glances down at his bare body, taking in all of the tattoos. He turns away and walks towards the hall.

"I'm gonna go get dressed, I'll see you back here in a few minutes to go drop you off." Clary just nods her head and quickly walks towards the living room, sitting down on the couch, wondering what the hell had just happened.

* * *

**So, this was supposed to be uploaded on Friday but I literally had to rewrite it four times because it wouldn't upload or because it deleted. Anyway, thanks for reading! I'll update sometime this week. **

**Much love xx**


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